When women are asked what cosmetic items they simply can't do without, lipstick routinely comes in as one of the top choices. Lipstick is clearly an essential cosmetic item to most women, and as technology improves, the demand for improved lip products grows. No longer is it adequate to have a large variety of shades to match any particular mood or outfit; women expect some value to be added to the product beyond the basic need of appealing color. Lip products now regularly incorporate biological actives and emollients that will actually improve the lip's condition, in addition to simply coloring it. Not only is treatment important to the lipstick purchaser, however; also crucial to the user is the lipstick's performance. Long gone are the days when a woman had the time or inclination to be touching up her makeup several times a day; it is now preferred that a cosmetic be put in place in the morning, and remain in place throughout the day, without any further attention. It is also now preferred that cosmetics, and particularly lipsticks, not leave their mark on unintended surfaces, such as coffee cups, napkins, utensils, a white blouse, or a kiss recipient's cheek. Thus, long wear and transfer resistance have become important characteristics to the consumer in choosing a new lipstick.
Fortunately, cosmetic technology has advanced to the point where it is possible to provide these desired traits in a lipstick. These types of products follow a general pattern: the use of a volatile solvent for quick drying, combined with a film-forming agent that lays down a long wearing film on the lips as the volatile solvent dries. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,937 discloses a transfer resistant lipstick which relies on the combination of a volatile solvent for quick drying, and a specified silicone ester wax to form a long-wearing film. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,837,223; 5,911,974; 5,965,112; 6,274,152 and 5,985,298 disclose various cosmetics said to exhibit long wear, which cosmetics are based on a mixture of an “MQ”-type silicone resin, a volatile solvent and non-volatile oils. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,071,503; 6,074,654; 6,139,823; 6,340,466; 6,406,683 disclose long-wearing cosmetics that rely on the mixture of an “MQ”-type silicone resin and a high molecular weight dimethicone gum to achieve long wear and transfer resistance. Products based on these technologies are now also widely commercially available. Although such products have achieved to varying degrees a measure of success in providing long-wear and transfer resistance, one of the frequently noted problems with such products is the comfort the user experiences with their use. The chemical nature of the products is such that after several hours of wear, the products can leave the lips feeling very dry and flaky. To some extent, this is a reflection of a relative lack of flexibility in the film that remains on the lips after the volatiles flash off. Thus, although the film is responsible for the desirable characteristics, it is also responsible for some undesirable characteristics as well. Therefore, the search continues for a long-wearing, transfer resistant lipstick that provides the user with an improved level of comfort and flexibility, with a minimization of the characteristic dryness and flakiness that can be associated with use of the currently available products. The present invention provides such a product.